There are many things that you can get a head-start on during pregnancy – buying nursery furniture for instance or taking infant CPR But with other things, it’s less clear. So what’s the verdict on pumping breast milk before your baby is actually born?
Removing milk before birth is known as Antenatal Milk Expression (AME) or colostrum harvesting. Starting at around 36-37 weeks, it’s the daily process of collecting very small amounts of your first breastmilk to freeze and store in case you need it during the early days and weeks of breastfeeding. Although not everyone wants or needs to do this, it is gaining in popularity.
Is it done with a breast pump? Not usually, no. Colostrum is super thick and sticky, and electric breast pumps were designed with more mature milk in mind (which is thin and watery). Colostrum harvesting is almost always easier to do by hand, using a technique called hand expression. And though we don’t know for sure, hand expression may be less likely to cause contractions than a double electric pump session.
Some possible advantages…
From mid-pregnancy until three or so days after birth, your breasts will produce colostrum, your first breastmilk. It’s thick like honey and perfectly formulated to nourish a newborn. Having extra on hand can be helpful if your baby is at higher than average risk of low blood sugar or you’re at high risk of low milk supply. Although gestational diabetes has been studied the most when it comes to the benefits of AME, here is a longer list of situations where there may still be benefits:
- Gestational Diabetes
- PCOS
- Breast concerns: previous breast surgery, lack of breast growth during pregnancy
- Expecting a baby who may not feed well: cleft lip/palate, Down’s syndrome, cardiac defects, IUGR, multiples
- Families who strongly want to avoid early formula supplementation, such as those with a family history of eczema or allergies
Chances are, if you have one of these conditions, your OB provider may have already spoken to you about collecting colostrum, but if not, it never hurts to ask. Even if you don’t have one of these conditions, you can always speak to your provider about when it’s safe to start.
Reviewed by the Ovia Health Clinical Team
